Less than two weeks to go – is your charity’s annual return due?

There are 2,311 registered charities due to file their accounts and reports with the Commission by the end of January. Those who miss their deadline will be marked as late on the public register of charities.

By Wednesday 15 January, 932 charities had filed their annual return with the Commission, leaving 1,379 still to report by the deadline.   

To start your charity’s annual return, go to the Commission’s Online services portal and log-in with your username (the six-digit charity registration number, without the NIC) and password. A log-in help sheet is available online here.

The Commission would encourage all charities to prepare for annual reporting in advance, ensuring they have the required information and documents (annual accounts, trustees’ report and either an independent examiner or audit report, as applicable) ready.

If this is your first time filing accounts and reports with the Commission, or you need some support, the practical guide How to complete the Annual Monitoring Return – 10-minute guide is recommended as a starting point.

Charities which file on time will be marked as green on the register of charities. Those who fail to file by the deadline will be marked as amber (overdue 14 days or less) or red (overdue more than 14 days).

Rossa Keown, the Commission’s Head of Compliance and Enquiries, said: “The annual reporting deadline is fast approaching so any charity due to file their accounts and reports this month, should be getting ready now.

“The deadline is set in law and, if missed, there isn’t anything we can do. That’s why I advise filing as early as you can, leaving yourself some time to get help or advice for any last-minute issues that may crop up,” Rossa concluded.